Wladimir Klitschko has no thoughts of retirement ahead of his Wembley showdown with Anthony Joshua and could extend his career past the age of 50, says manager Bernd Boente. The 41-year-old is hoping to start a third reign as a world heavyweight champion when he challenges IBF champion Joshua, with the vacant WBA 'super' title also at stake on April 29.
Klitschko, who previously dominated the top division for over 10 years, has not discussed the prospect of retirement and long-term manager Boente believes he might even emulate American ring legend Bernard Hopkins, who finally quit the sport last year at the age of 51.
"If you're 41 years old, you can't expect that someone is fighting another 10 years, but he always said that Bernard Hopkins is one of his idols - and you know how long Bernard fought," Boente told. "I don't know if Wladimir will still fight at 50, but one thing is for sure, he's not looking at this fight as his last fight. For the last five or six years, Wladimir has never discussed how long he fights. It's fight by fight and then he makes a decision.
"At this moment I can tell you he's in fantastic shape and he's physically and psychologically on a top level. He's absolutely looking forward to this fight." Klitschko is preparing to face a fearsome opponent in Joshua, who has knocked out all 18 of his opponents, but insists he is physically and mentally stronger than ever.
